Downloads
This year we started with the Bible's big story. This term we've been asking a big question: "Who am I?" Today we put the two together.
Here's a quick quiz to start. How many can you answer without looking back?
- Which psalm says God knit us together and knows everything about us?
- What does Jesus' prayer start with, and what does that tell us about God?
- What did Paul say God did for his people in Ephesians 1:5?
- What three action words did Jesus use about prayer in Matthew 7:7?
- What are the three parts of Psalm 13?
- What does Psalm 119:105 call God's word?
- Name two of the four things the first Christians were devoted to in Acts 2:42.
(Answers: Psalm 139; "Our Father", so God is a loving Father, not a distant boss; he adopted them as his children through Jesus; ask, seek, knock; cry out, ask, trust; a lamp and a light; the apostles' teaching, fellowship, the breaking of bread, and prayer.)
What you'll learn
- What each part of the Bible's big story says about who you are
- The difference between being saved by good works and being saved for good works
- How to sum up who God says you are, with verses to back it up
The whole story and me
The Bible tells one big story in six parts. Each part says something about who we are:
| Part of the story | What it says about who I am | A verse we met |
|---|---|---|
| Creation | I'm made by God, in his image, on purpose. | Genesis 1:27; Psalm 139:13–14 |
| The Fall | I'm not as I should be. Like everyone, I've turned from God and need rescue. | Ephesians 2:1–3 |
| Israel | God keeps his promises. He chose a family to bless the whole world. | Genesis 12:1–3 |
| Jesus | I can be forgiven and saved by grace, as a gift. | Ephesians 2:8–9 |
| The Church | Through Jesus I can be adopted into God's family and belong to his people. | Ephesians 1:5; Acts 2:42 |
| New Creation | God's children have a future and an inheritance. He will finish what he started. | Romans 8:17; Revelation 21:4–5 |
What happens if you only hear one part? If you only hear about Creation, you might get proud. If you only hear about the Fall, you might feel hopeless. We need the whole story, with Jesus at the centre.
A gift
Ephesians 2:1–10 has a clear shape:
- Verses 1–3: before. Spiritually dead, going our own way.
- Verses 4–7: God steps in. Because of his great love, God made us alive with Christ.
- Verses 8–10: how and why. Saved by grace, for good works.
"For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:8–9)
Imagine someone hands you a wrapped present, then asks you to pay for it. Is it still a gift? No! That's the point Paul is making.
- Grace means a gift we don't deserve and can't earn.
- Faith is like empty hands that receive the gift. It isn't a good work that earns salvation; it's trusting the one who gives it.
- Not by works: no one can boast. Nobody gets into God's family because they're good enough, and nobody is kept out because they're not.
A work of art
"For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life." (Ephesians 2:10)
The Greek word Paul uses for what we are is poiēma: something made, a work of art. Our English word "poem" is related to it. Bibles translate it "workmanship", "handiwork" or even "masterpiece". Remember the handmade scarf from the start of the term? God made you by hand, and he is still working on his people.
Now look at the order:
| Wrong order | Right order |
|---|---|
| Good works → God accepts me | God accepts me by grace → good works |
Christians are saved for good works, not by good works. God has already prepared good things for his people to do.
Who God says I am
Here are the truths from this term, all in one place:
| Who God says I am | Verse |
|---|---|
| Made on purpose, carefully and personally | Psalm 139:13–14 |
| Fully known, and still loved | Psalm 139:1–4 |
| Adopted as God's child; I can call him Father | Ephesians 1:5; Romans 8:15 |
| A child my Father loves to hear from | Luke 11:9–13 |
| Free to be honest with God, who stays with me in the dark | Psalm 13; Psalm 23:4 |
| Someone God speaks to through his word | Psalm 119:105 |
| Part of God's family, belonging and needed | Acts 2:42; Hebrews 10:24–25 |
| Saved by grace, as a gift | Ephesians 2:8–9 |
| God's work of art, made for good works | Ephesians 2:10 |
Key words
- Grace: a gift from God that we don't deserve and can't earn.
- Faith: trusting God, like empty hands receiving a gift.
- Boast: to brag or show off about yourself.
- Workmanship / handiwork: something carefully made; a work of art.
How this points to Jesus
Every truth on that list comes through Jesus. Everything was made through him. He came to rescue people who had turned away. He is the Son who makes adoption possible, the Shepherd who stays with us in the valley, and the one the whole Bible points to. Next year, in Living it out, you'll look at wisdom, friendships and choices: what those good works look like in everyday life. But it all starts here. Christians don't live it out to become God's children. They live it out because they already are.
Think about it
What is the difference between being saved by good works and being saved for good works?Show answer
"By good works" would mean earning God's love by being good enough. "For good works" means God gives salvation as a free gift, and then shapes his people to do good.
Why do you think people keep trying to earn God's love, even when the Bible says it's a gift?Show answer
Most of life works by earning: marks, sport, friendships. It can be hard to believe something this big is simply given.
How could knowing you're God's work of art change how you feel on a bad day?Show answer
Your worth doesn't depend on how the day went. God made you with care, and he hasn't finished his work in you yet.
Take it further
Write a short note to yourself to read at the start of Year 8. Choose at least three truths from the list above, each with its verse. What do you want to remember about who God says you are? If you're not sure about faith, you could write "Who the Bible says I am" and say which truth you find most interesting, or most hard to believe. Your worksheet has space for your note.
The gift in Ephesians 2 is offered to everyone. If you'd like to know more, talk to your teacher, the school chaplain or a youth leader. If you'd like to, you could pray:
Father, thank you for making us, for knowing us, and for offering us a place in your family as a free gift through Jesus. Thank you that we never have to earn your love. Shape us into your handiwork, and lead us into the good things you've prepared for us. Amen.